Chillicothe's Malachi Reissigalmost missed the opportunity to play sports after a treadmill accident when he was 2 years old left him trying to fight for his life.

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On a morning in January 2001, stay-at-home mother Kelly Reissig was busy talking on the phone with her sister and preparing breakfast for when her husband, Jim, returned from paying bills as their active 2-year-old Malachi ran about the house.

A few minutes went by with Malachi never returning to the kitchen. Something told Kelly Reissig to go into the living room and check on her son. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

Malachi had hung himself by the neck from a wire that hung down from the family's treadmill. He was lifeless with his body oustretched, stiff and eyes fixed in place. ...